


Thrice Cursed

by Tiny_Black_Cat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: APPLE CIDER, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apples, F/F, Floor Queen, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Regina does not know her apples, Set sometime after S1, Sleeping Curse, True Love, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-02 20:47:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16312436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_Black_Cat/pseuds/Tiny_Black_Cat
Summary: Regina invites a few people over to her house as an apology. Drinks go horribly wrong.





	Thrice Cursed

**Author's Note:**

> Written 9/14/14.
> 
> For posterity I will note that for whatever reason my "Apple Cider" tag is in caps. I didn't make it like that.

Regina couldn't find words to express how glad she was that they had all decided to come to dinner. As a way to apologize to everyone, she had invited Emma, Red, Belle, Mulan, and Aurora over.

Surprisingly, Belle was the first one to arrive, dressed in her customary yellow and beaming. Regina was shocked to see the princess she had locked up for over twenty-eight years so forgiving.

"Hi!" Belle said.

"Hi," Regina replied. "I'm so glad you came. Cider?" she poured Belle a glass. "It's homemade."

Belle raised it to her lips but before she could drink there was a knock at the door.

She followed Regina to the door. It was Aurora.

“Come on in,” Regina said.

Aurora stepped over the threshold.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Belle said. “You know I met Phillip and Mulan, once.”

“Really?” Aurora said.

The three walked back into the kitchen.

“Yes,” Belle replied. “I was tracking this beast, it was a mixture of fire and lion, and I ran into Mulan. I - uh - had this book, and with it I found the beast faster than Mulan. But she got injured and she told me to I had to kill the beast. When I found the beast, he wrote some letters in the dirt. ‘Help me.’ One of my friends had given me some fairy dust and I sprinkled some on him. The beast turned into Phillip.”

“Goodness,” Aurora exclaimed. “I thought I had heard all of Phillip’s stories.”

“I’m sure he just didn’t want you to worry,” Belle said. “Anyway, I asked Phillip to help Mulan because she was hurt. That’s how they met. I left them because I wanted get back to Rumple, but then - things happened.”

Regina felt another surge of guilt.

“He said something about you, Aurora,” Belle broke the awkward silence. “He was going to rescue you? What happened?”

“A sleeping curse,” Aurora said. “By Maleficent,” she added hastily. “Not, y’know - Maleficent.”

“Well!” Regina said. “Would anyone like some apple cider! I haven’t even tasted it yet.”

Aurora accepted a glass.

“Aren’t you,” Belle struggled to find a word, “famous for your apples?”

“Infamous, more like,” Regina said. She gestured to two identical baskets of apples on the counter. “The basket on the left has poisoned apples, the one on the right has regular ones.”

“They look the same to me,” Aurora said.

“The cider was made with regular ones,” Regina said. “I know my apples.”

“I trust you,” Belle said softly.

Aurora nodded in agreement and took a sip of the cider. Regina and Belle followed her example.

As she took a sip Belle saw Aurora close her eyes and slump in her chair. Belle choked on her own drink.

She swallowed and called, “Regina!” but it was too late. Regina’s eyes widened as she saw what had happened to Aurora and realized that she would share her fate.

“Belle,” Regina said, “I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

“I know,” Belle said, and her eyes closed.

Regina had no more time to wonder if she would wake up as she succumbed to the dreams of her darkest regrets.

 

Emma, Red, and Mulan arrived on Regina’s doorstep within seconds of eachother. Emma knocked. They waited there until Emma tried knocking a second time.

“Maybe we should just let ourselves in?” Red offered.

“Sure.” Emma opened the door.

“They must be in the kitchen,” Mulan said.

“Wait,” Red held up a hand. “I smell something…evil. Be cautious.”

They proceeded in silence to the kitchen.

“Aurora!” Mulan cried. Aurora was limp in her chair, eyes closed. Her drink was spilled on the table.

Belle was similarly unconscious. Regina was sprawled out on the white tile floor.

“Regina poisoned them?” Red said.

“No,” Emma said.

Red looked at her.

“At least, not intentionally,” she amended. “Why would she drug everyone including herself?”

“This isn’t drugs,” Mulan said, kneeling next to Aurora. “This is a sleeping curse.”

“But-“ Red’s eyes filled with tears. “Rumple is dead. Belle will never wake up!”

“Regina’s true love is dead too,” said Emma.

“And Phillip - “ Mulan added. She started again. “We were hoping he was in this realm. He’s not.”

 

It seemed odd to leave them like that, so Emma, Red, and Mulan situated them in Regina’s living room. They sat there in silence. Red and Mulan were crying. Emma just stared into space.

“I never thought they would die like that,” she said to no one in particular. “I mean, Regina, just - gone. It isn’t supposed to happen like that.”

Red made a noise of agreement.

“I would see Belle every morning at Granny’s,” she sniffed. “She was so happy, and now she … she …” Red was unable to finish.

Emma looked over at Mulan. “Mulan, are you okay?”

She shook her head.

Emma realized how close Mulan was to Aurora.

“Do you love her?”

“Yes,” Mulan replied.

“Maybe you can wake her up.”

“No,” Mulan said sadly. “For true love’s kiss to work, both people have to be in love. She’s not my soulmate. She doesn’t love me.”

“What about the others?” Red asked, finally looking up. “What if you’re Belle or Regina’s true love? Try waking them.”

“No!” Mulan responded. “It’s bad enough that they’re dead, do you think they would want me kissing them?”

“If it would wake them up,” Emma said.

“Look,” Red said. “Think of it this way: will you be able to live with yourself knowing that you might’ve been able to wake Belle or Regina up, and you didn’t? Please try.”

“Fine,” Mulan said softly. She got up and kissed Regina on the lips; nothing happened. Mulan looked the others.

“You tried,” Emma said, eyes brimming with tears.

“She’s not unattractive,” Mulan said before kissing Belle.

As with before, nothing happened. Mulan started crying all over again.

“Aurora?” Red asked.

“No,” Mulan replied. “No, she’s made her feelings pretty clear, and I won’t kiss her when I know she wouldn’t want me to.”

“So that’s it then?” Emma said. “They’re dead, never to return?”

Red gasped. “No,” she said. “I can’t believe I never realized it before. Emma, do you believe in fate?”

“What?” Emma said.

Red turned to Mulan. “Mulan,” she said. “You have to try to awaken Aurora. As it is, she’s dead. I don't think you could do much worse.”

“Please don’t give me false hope, Red,” Mulan pleaded.

“What if it works?” asked Red. “You have to try.”

Mulan nodded.

“Emma,” Red said. “Mulan and Aurora are soulmates. I … I think Belle and I are too. And I think your true love is Regina.”

“No way,” Emma said.

“Do you want to live in a world without Regina?” Red said. “I think that honestly, you don’t.”

“You’re wrong,” Emma said. “But I’ll prove it to you.”

Simultaneously, Mulan kissed Aurora, Red kissed Belle and Emma kissed Regina.” Three circles of light emanated from the couples.

“Mulan?” Aurora said. “What happened? Why am I awake? Who awakened me?” Mulan was smiling and crying.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll always protect you.”

Belle’s eyes fluttered open. “Red?” she asked. “You woke me? How?” Red smiled and bent down to kiss her again.

“Oh,” Belle said when they broke apart. “I get it.”

Emma was staring in shock at Regina. “This isn’t possible,” Emma said. “Regina, I hate you.”

“And I hate you,” Regina responded, but neither of them sounded like they meant it.

Emma avoided Regina’s gaze and looked around. Belle and Red were kissing. That was unexpected. Aurora looked confused, but Mulan looked radiantly happy.

“Miss Swan,” Emma looked back at Regina. “This is all your fault,” Regina continued.

“My fault?” Emma said.

“You were late,” Regina said.

“And what would’ve happened if I wasn’t late?” Emma retorted.

“Your wolf friend would’ve been able to smell the curse,” Regina snapped.

“Oh,” Emma said sarcastically. “I’m sorry. I should’ve dragged my friend over here sooner so she could’ve saved _you_ because _you_ mixed up your apples!”

“Well, maybe if you weren’t distracting me by being late I would’ve caught it!’ Regina said.

Belle grinned at Red.

“They’re such a cute couple,” she said.


End file.
